SHAMAN AND SERPENT In the tradition of Jungian analysis, a psychiatrist and an anthropologist explore the meanings and manifestations of death through ritual, religion and myth. The knowledge that he must die is the force that drives man to create. The tribal initiation of the shaman, the archetype of the serpent, exists universally in man’s experience, exemplifying the death of the Self and a rebirth into a transcendent, “unknowable” life. In The Wisdom of the Serpent: The Myths of Death, Rebirth and Resurrection, first published in 1963, the authors trace the images and patterns of psychic liberation through personal encounter, the cycles of nature, spiritual teaching religious texts, myths of resurrection, poems and epics. They translate these elements of common human experience into a them for modern man: the reinterpretation of the individual freed from the mortal boundaries of the Self. First published in 1963, this classic work in analytical psychology includes notes on the illustrations, appendix and references.

New Perspectives on Ancient Magic Reconciling magic with rational thought, well-known occult scholar Donald Tyson presents an exciting collection of essays that offer fresh insights into a wide variety of important topics in the Western esoteric tradition. Along with practical instructions on the correct casting of the magic circle and the uses of familiars, Tyson includes a new system of coin divination and a complete history of the esoteric ordering of the Tarot trumps. Here you will learn the hidden roots of magic--what it is, and how it works on the deepest levels of reality. What esoteric energy is and how to use it The arcane meaning of the serpent of wisdom The making and use of a book of spirits The essential nature of spiritual beings How we perceive and interact with spirits The truth about spirit possession and why you should not fear it The reality of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and demons A revolutionary manifesto of spirits' rights

John Anthony West's revolutionary reinterpretation of the civilization of Egypt challenges all that has been accepted as dogma concerning Ancient Egypt. In this pioneering study West documents that: Hieroglyphs carry hermetic messages that convey the subtler realities of the Sacred Science of the Pharaohs. Egyptian science, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy were more sophisticated than most modern Egyptologists acknowledge. Egyptian knowledge of the universe was a legacy from a highly sophisticated civilization that flourished thousands of years ago. The great Sphinx represents geological proof that such a civilization existed. This revised edition includes a new introduction linking Egyptian spiritual science with the perennial wisdom tradition and an appendix updating West's work in redating the Sphinx. Illustrated with over 140 photographs and line drawings.

According to ancient records, the patriarchs and founders of the early civilizations in Egypt, India, China, Peru, Mesopotamia, Britain, and the Americas were colonized by the Serpents of Wisdom-spiritual masters associated with the serpent-who arrived in these lands after abandoning their beloved homelands and crossing great seas. While bearing names denoting snake or dragon (such as Naga, Lung, Djedhi, Amaru, Quetzalcoatl, Adder, etc.), these Serpents of Wisdom oversaw the construction of magnificent civilizations within which they and their descendants served as the priest kings and as the enlightened heads of mystery school traditions. The Return of the Serpents of Wisdom recounts the history of these “Serpents”-where they came from, why they came, the secret wisdom they disseminated, and why they are returning now.

Jesus said: be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Are serpents really wise? Why would Jesus give such advice? Take a journey in this riveting book by Dag Heward-Mills, and discover the hidden wisdom of the serpent.

The tribal initiation of the shaman, the archetype of the serpent, exemplifies the death of the self and a rebirth into transcendent life. This book traces the images of spiritual initiation in religious rituals and myths of resurrection, poems and epics, cycles of nature, and art and dreaming. It dramatizes the metamorphosis from a common experience of death's inevitability into a transcendent freedom beyond individual limitations. "This is a classic work in analytical psychology that offers crucial insights on the meaning of death symbolism (and its inevitably accompanying rebirth and resurrection symbolism) as part of the great theme of initiation, of which [Henderson] is the world's foremost psychological interpreter. This material is really the next step after the hero myth that Joseph Campbell has made so popular, and provides an understanding of how not to use the hero myth in an inflated way as a psychology of mastery, but as an attainment progressively to be died beyond. [Henderson] is helped by the presence of Maud Oakes, who is a trained anthropologist with exquisite taste in her choice of mythic materials and respect for their original contexts."--John Beebe

The customs and spirituality of the traditional communities of the highlands and islands of Scotland were preserved in a way that has been lost to most people today. Jones describes the vital roles of women in those communities, with their customary powers of "seeing," healing, blessing, and cursing. Their hospitality, conviviality, and deep wisdom, together with their celebration of the tasks of daily life, have much to teach us today in our modern way of life.